Council to Weigh Electric Substation's Historic Value

The Piedmont Planning Commission has unanimously recommended that a 1920s era building be demolished to make room for a block of multi-family housing. The recently completed environmental impact report for the development determined that tearing down the electric utility substation at 408 Linda Ave would mean the destruction of a "historical resource." It's now up to City Council to decide if the benefits of new housing outweigh the loss.

The 5,700-square-foot Pacific Gas and Electric substation was built in 1926 to deal with an increased demand for electrical power in Piedmont, which had seen a major surge in population and industrial expansion.

The building, called Substation E, was at the time one of only three automatic substations on the West Coast.

Substation E is also especially attractive for an utilitarian building. According to a 1925 PG&E document, the substation was considered to be a “somewhat better building” than the company would have constructed at the time.

The Mission-style building was designed by noted PG&E architect Ivan Frickstad. A 2000 study by PAR Environmental deemed the substation an important example of Frickstad's work, leading LSA Associates, which prepared the new environmental impact report, to conclude removing it would constitute a significant and unavoidable impact to a historical resource.

Some of the substation’s features include gabled ends and a roof covered in Spanish tiles. An original, multi-paneled wooden door dominates the side of the building that faces Linda Avenue.

“It’s unusual for an industrial building like this to be so well designed,” said Piedmont City Planner Kate Black.

One reason for the attention to detail, she said, was that the plot was located in a residential district, surrounded by well-maintained houses.

“[Frickstad] went above and beyond when designing this building,” she said.

In 2006, a cultural resources researcher submitted a nomination to the California Office of Historic Preservation to register Substation E as a historic place, based on the PAR study. But PG&E, which still owned the building, submitted a letter of opposition, and the nomination was withdrawn. Both the LSA and PAR studies concluded that the substation should be included in the register.

Developer Piedmont Station, LLC is proposing to build a three-story townhouse complex on the 0.4-acre plot, consisting of seven units. Each unit would have four bedrooms, three baths and two garage spaces. Plans for the $3.8 million project were submitted in January 2010, and have since undergone intense review.

The project would be the first multi-family complex built in Piedmont in 60 years, and would help the city meet its housing needs.

“The city has built out for many years,” said Black. “From what I can figure out, the building actually next to this project is the last multi-family building built in Piedmont in the 1950s.”

The substation was in operation until 1991. The building has since remained vacant.

“We should be getting tax revenue and have it be a productive,” Black said.

If the townhouses are built, the environmental impact report suggests the historical significance of the substation be recognized with documentation of the original building, salvaging of its notable architectural components, and an informational placard on site.

City Council will consider the mitigations along with other aspects of the project at its .